10 Reasons why Philadelphia 76ers Won’t Finish .500 in 2018

The story with the Philadelphia 76 over the past few years has been “The Process.”

Former general manager Sam Hinkie embarked on a quest to get as many draft picks and young, talented players as he could.

The result is a lot of high picks who’ve shown serious potential. But some people are overrating this potential by picking the Sixers to finish around .500.

While I think that Philadelphia will be good eventually, they are too raw to be good this year. And here are 10 reasons why the 76ers are set to struggle in the 2017-18 season.

1. They Can’t Shoot

NBA teams are shooting more three-pointers than ever before these days. And the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers are proof that good shooting equals wins.

This is bad news for the Sixers, though, because they’re seriously deficient in terms of outside shooting. J.J. Redick is the only really good shooter on the team. The rest of Philadelphia is full of post players and slashers.

It’s nice that Simmons earned a good number of votes. But it’s a little disturbing that not one GM voted for Fultz.

7. Sixers have Little Chemistry

Philadelphia has undergone a lot of roster turnover in the last few years. And while they’ve gotten some good young players by doing so, this team hasn’t had much chance to play together.

That said, I really don’t see the 76ers having enough chemistry to play .500 basketball.

8. Their Defense is Bad

Outside of Embiid, who averaged 2.5 blocks last season, this squad doesn’t have much on the defensive end.

First off, they’ll be starting a pair of rookies in Fultz and Simmons, who weren’t number one picks for their defensive abilities. And sixth man Jahlil Okafor has become legendary for his lack of defense.

9. Richaun Holmes Fractured His Wrist

Backup center Richaun Holmes is starting the year off on a wrong note after fracturing his wrist this month. While a timetable isn’t available, this injury will likely sideline Holmes for months.

The 6’10” big man is expected to play important minutes at backup center and power forward this season. And while Holmes isn’t a starter, his injury will take away some major frontcourt depth.

10. Sixers Haven’t Reached .500 since 2011

Here are the 76ers’ win totals over the past few years:

2017 – 28-54

2016 – 10-72

2015 – 18-64

2014 – 19-63

There was an 18-win improvement in the past season. However, even the 28-54 mark is 13 games away from .500. That said, it’s hard to see a roster full of young players improving this much without any major free agent additions.